Sweden Essays - Prime Ministers Of Sweden, Ingvar Carlsson

Sweden Sweden Sweden, one of the "three fingers" of Scandinavia, is just larger than the state of California. It covers 173,731 square miles (449,964 square kilometers). From the northern tip to the southern tip it is about 1,000 miles. Thousands of tiny islands line the coast. Mountains form much of the northwest, but most of Sweden is relatively flat with some rollling hills. Many rivers flow from the mountains through the forests and into the Balitc Sea. Sweden is dotted with lakes, which, with the rivers, provide ample water for the country. More than half of the land is forested. North of the Arctic Circle, winters ar long and relatively cold while summers are short and pleasant. But summer's "midnight sun" makes the days long. Although Sweden is located far to the north, most of the country has a relatively temperate climate, moderated by the warm Gulf Stream. July temperatures in Stockholm average sixty four degrees ferenheit. Sweden has been inhabeted for nearly five thousand years and is the home of the Gothic peoples who battled the Roman Empire. In the ninth century, Rurik, a semilegendary chief of the Swedes, is said to have founded Russia. Christianity was introduced in the 11th century adn adopted by the monarchy. During the 20th century, neutrality and nonalignment were cornerstones of Sweden's foreign policy, keeping it out of both world wars and allowing it to transform its rather poor society into a prosperous social welfare state. The Socila Democratic Party dominated politics and led every government until 1976, when it's rule was interrupted until 1982. With the end of the Cold War, and increased European Union in 1995. Sweden's image as a peaceful, egalitarian society, with relatively low crime, was shaken in 1986 when Prime Minister Olof Palme was assassinated on the streets of Stockholm. Palme was succeeded by Ingvar Carlsson of the Social Democratic Party. After rejection of his austerity package in 1990, Carlsson resigned and led a minority government until elections in 1991. The new prome minister, Carl Bildt of the Moderate Party, formed a coalition government. Bildt's administration concentrated on economic challenges and negotiated Sweden's entry into the EU.